These are *great* bottles. In the past the most annoying issue I've had with "pop-up" drinking nozzles is that they inevitably leak or the rubber around the nipple gets worn down/torn. With these Podium mechanisms, you get a hermetic seal! They are *far, far easier to drink out of* than your traditional bottle, and the locking feature can be used to ensure you have no accidental water loss as needed. The insulation is good, and it keeps my drink cool for several hours - if I freeze a bit of water in it it lasts even longer. What I like the most is that it can really rocket a stream of water! This thing can be trusted to deliver a real shot of hydration on demand in a way that other bottles just cant. It's the water bottle perfected.

Reviewers complaining about the lid mechanism, I cannot wrap my head around. It's easy to clean, easy to use, it functions exactly as advertised. You don't have to use the water-lock feature if you don't want if it annoys you (?). What I do, is keep my bottles all locked until I'm ready to drink from that bottle specifically. Then I will unlock it and drink one bottle at a time (I carry 3-4 bottles on me for my normal rides). The lock is reassuring that i'm not dripping water all over my chain and bike, sealing the water in with NO chances of leaking, even if you hold it upside down and squeeze.

This is the gold-standard, as far as I'm concerned.

I recently got an Insulated Camelback Podium bottle with dividend money at REI. I must say I'm surprised by all of the good reviews, because when I fill mine with cold water, and even ice cubes, by the time I drive to my starting point and get things out of the car, the water is approaching the ambient temperature. It's been a warm summer, so I'm drinking 80°+ water. In addition, if water has been in the bottle for a few hours, there's a definite "plasticky" taste.
I do like the valve on the cap. You have to squeeze it to deliver water and it won't spill. Plus, you can lock it, so spillage is pretty much non-existent. I do like that part. It's been semi-retired to nightly use as my night stand water bottle. Cats can't dump it :-)
But, overall, while not terribly expensive, I'd still look around a bit before I buy my next bottle.

Great bottle for summer cycling. Drinks will eventually reach ambient temperature but stay cooler much longer than non-insulated bottles.
However, the new podium bottle cap design has the removeable internal rubbery "cap plug" (that even has embossed letters recommending "remove for cleaning")...and these plugs are very easily lost. And the stop valve requires the plug to be in place for the on/off flow to function! So if you lose them...you can no longer shut off the lid. And, Camelbak do not sell/provide just the plugs. They have offered to replace the cap under their warranty policy...but we'll see if they replace the 3 out of the 4 plugs that I have lost...or if I have to do a warranty claim for each one. Either way...it's very inefficient to replace the whole cap assembly when only the cap plug is needed. :-(

I used the water bottle for 2 weeks and it drove me and a friend crazy. After you take a drink and leave it in the "open" position, it makes a clicking noise as the air tries to escape. It sounds like a ticking clock, and goes on for 20+ minutes every time you take a drink. Also, the twist cap is really hard on fingers in normal life settings, can't imagine using on a bike. I have only returned a few items to REI for failing at their basic function, and this was one of them. I would avoid. Heading back to my cheaper and more functional Polar bottles for the few times I used a plastic bottle.